South Africa’s bakkie market is enjoying something of a renaissance. With the arrival of the ninth-generation Toyota Hilux and a flurry of updates from almost every major manufacturer, buyers have never had more choice. Against that backdrop, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles South Africa invited a group of journalists and content creators on a five-day expedition through KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and the Eastern Cape. The Amarok Adventure wasn’t another media drive. It was Volkswagen’s opportunity to demonstrate exactly what its premium bakkie can do when taken well beyond the confines of a conventional launch route.
The timing of Volkswagen’s Amarok Adventure could hardly have been better. South Africa’s bakkie market is booming. Some will argue the latest surge began with the arrival of the ninth-generation Toyota Hilux, the country’s perennial sales champion. Others will point out that nearly every major contender has received some form of update over the past few months. I’ll leave readers to draw their own conclusions.
Whatever the reason, competition has never been fiercer. Perhaps that’s why Volkswagen chose this moment to remind everyone what the Amarok is capable of. Instead of another polished product presentation, it sent us on a five-day expedition across some of Southern Africa’s toughest terrain.
A PROPER POWER TEST
One of the biggest challenges facing motoring journalists is that vehicle launches rarely tell the full story. A few hours behind the wheel are usually enough to understand the basics, but not enough to truly live with a vehicle.
The Amarok Adventure certainly was very different.
Over five days and four nights, our convoy would cover nearly 1,600 km through KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, tackling everything from winding national roads and endless gravel tracks to snow-covered mountain passes and some of the country’s toughest terrain.
The route took us from Durban into the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, then up the legendary Sani Pass into Lesotho, and back to home soil on the same day. From there, we headed through Matatiele, Rhodes, and Barkly East, and over Naude’s Nek Pass. The final leg wound through the vast Karoo to Graaff-Reinet before ending in Gqeberha.
This was the most time I’ve ever spent driving a single model range across lengthy gravel sections and multiple mountain passes in one trip. Clearly, this intentional structure was Volkswagen’s main intention. The other was to make it clear that the Amarok isn’t confined to sealed roads, nor is it an off-roader reserved only for weekends. It was expected to tackle everything placed in front of it and, over five days, it did exactly that.
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
One aspect of the trip I hadn’t anticipated was how much I would learn from my travelling companions.
Joining me were two motoring content creators. Coming from a traditional journalism background, I found it fascinating to see which aspects of a vehicle immediately caught their attention. Camera angles, content opportunities, technology features and visual appeal often took precedence over the engineering details that I naturally gravitate towards.
Yet despite viewing the Amarok through very different lenses, our conclusions were remarkably similar – good engineering speaks for itself.
Whether discussing ride comfort, cabin refinement, off-road capability, or day-to-day usability, we consistently arrived at the same conclusions. While how people consume motoring content continues to evolve, the qualities that make a vehicle genuinely good remain much the same.
THREE AMAROKS, THREE PERSONALITIES
Volkswagen also resisted the temptation to simply hand everyone the flagship model for the duration of the trip. Instead, we rotated between three very different Amarok derivatives, each revealing its own character.
Our journey from Durban through the Midlands and up Sani Pass into Lesotho was spent in the familiar 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel PanAmericana. Producing 184 kW (with an overboost function that temporarily increases output to 190 kW when maximum acceleration is required), it remains one of the defining powertrains in the premium bakkie segment.
Effortless torque, superb refinement and a wonderfully relaxed character made long-distance touring almost effortless. This was true when climbing steep mountain passes or overtaking slower traffic as well.
The following day brought what would become the biggest surprise of the Adventure, as we traded the V6 for the Amarok Life 4Motion, powered by Volkswagen’s 125 kW 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. Inevitably, this meant sacrificing outright performance. Sure, the power reduction is immediately noticeable, and anyone expecting V6-level shove will naturally be disappointed, but that misses the point.
Our route from the Sani Pass Hotel through Matatiele and Rhodes before arriving in Barkly East presented every imaginable road surface. Despite giving away a healthy margin of power to the V6, the Life tackled the same roads with quiet confidence, never feeling overwhelmed.
By the end of the day, I found myself appreciating just how well judged this derivative really is. It strikes an impressive balance between capability, refinement, and value, making it one of the smartest buys in the Amarok range.
By the time we stopped for coffee in Rhodes, the convoy of Amaroks wore a thick coating of Eastern Cape dust like a badge of honour. Parked outside one of the town’s oldest pubs, they looked every bit the part after another day spent carving through gravel roads. It was one of those moments that perfectly captured the spirit of the trip. Nobody was talking about power outputs or specification sheets over coffee. The conversation centred on the roads we’d just conquered and the ones still waiting ahead. If ever there was a reminder that bakkies can still be fun, this was it.
The final derivative was the 222 kW 2.3-litre turbo-petrol PanAmericana, which accompanied us from Barkly East to Graaff-Reinet.
Its eager throttle response and effortless acceleration transformed the Amarok’s character, making every overtaking manoeuvre feel almost effortless. Combined with the PanAmericana’s generous equipment levels, it was easily the most entertaining Amarok I drove during the week. Each derivative brought something different to the table, yet all three felt unmistakably Amarok.
REFINEMENT THAT COUNTS
Five days behind the wheel strips away first impressions. Fancy technology becomes ordinary, styling fades into the background, and you’re left judging a vehicle on how it performs as everyday transport.
Across the range, cabin refinement stood out. Despite the endless gravel roads, wind noise remained well suppressed, tyre roar was surprisingly well contained, and conversations between occupants rarely required raised voices.
Then there was reliability. Across ten Amaroks tackling loose rock, corrugations and genuinely unforgiving terrain, the convoy suffered just two punctures. Given the punishment these vehicles endured, that’s an impressive endorsement of both the Amarok itself and the meticulous planning behind the event.
SOUTH AFRICA, ONE KILOMETRE AT A TIME
One of the greatest pleasures of any road trip is watching the landscape evolve through the windscreen, and few places do it quite like South Africa.
One day, we were surrounded by snow-covered mountains in Lesotho, carefully picking our way down Sani Pass in low range. Rather than relying heavily on the brakes, we selected low range and allowed the Amaroks’ engine braking to control our speed down the muddy, icy slopes. It kept the vehicles composed, minimised the risk of sliding and served as a reminder that off-road driving is often more about technique than outright bravery.
Less than 48 hours later, we found ourselves crossing the wide-open plains of the Karoo, where recent rains had transformed the normally arid landscape into a patchwork of green. The contrast was striking and served as a reminder of just how diverse this country really is.
Naude’s Nek Pass provided another unforgettable chapter. As South Africa’s highest public dirt road, it demands patience and concentration, rewarding both with breathtaking views that stretch to the horizon.
The accommodation also reflected that same diversity. Our first evening was spent at the elegant Fordoun Hotel & Spa in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Other nights had us checking into more modest lodgings after long days spent on gravel roads. Our final night at the beautiful Drostdy Hotel in Graaff-Reinet provided a fitting conclusion.
That said, Volkswagen didn’t choose the hotels to make us forget about the driving, quite the opposite. Shacking up in fancy lodgings one evening and in humbler accommodations the next highlighted just how naturally the Amarok fits into any environment.
A special mention goes to VW’s generous supplies of padkos that somehow appeared every morning, ensuring nobody went hungry during the trip.
ONE LAST DETOUR
Like any proper adventure, this one didn’t end exactly as planned. Our final drive from Graaff-Reinet to Gqeberha was interrupted when an incident involving two trucks closed the main route, forcing an unexpected detour that ultimately caused many of us to miss our flights home. Frustrating? Certainly. But it also gave us one final opportunity to sample an impromptu stretch of gravel road at rather enthusiastic speeds. Predictably, the Amaroks simply shrugged it off.
The Amarok Adventure didn’t convince me the flagship PanAmericana is capable. I already knew that. What it did prove was that capability runs through the entire range, and that snow-covered mountain passes, seemingly endless gravel roads, and cruising between some of the country’s most far-flung towns proved that every Amarok we drove felt entirely at home. If Volkswagen set out to reaffirm that the Amarok belongs among South Africa’s best bakkies, taking the long way home made its most compelling case.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES SOUTH AFRICA
